1974 Formula One season
The 1974 Formula One season was the 28th season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 1974 World Championship of F1 Drivers[1] and the 1974 International Cup for F1 Manufacturers,[1] contested concurrently over a fifteen-race series which commenced on 13 January and ended on 6 October. The season also included three non-championship races.
Defending champion Jackie Stewart did not drive in 1974, having announced his retirement at the end of the previous season. Emerson Fittipaldi (McLaren) and Clay Regazzoni (Ferrari) went into the last race of the championship with equal number of points, but Regazzoni dropped down the field with handling problems and Fittipaldi's fourth place gave him his second championship. This was also the first title for McLaren and the first of many titles for a team sponsored by the Marlboro cigarette brand.
Two F1 drivers died over the course of the season: Peter Revson during practice for the South African Grand Prix and Helmuth Koinigg during the United States Grand Prix.
Teams and drivers
The following teams and drivers contested the 1974 World Championship.
Team and driver changes
A relatively large number of driver changes had happened over the winter:
- After winning the 1972 championship but then struggling in the second half of 1973, Emerson Fittipaldi left Lotus for McLaren. Mike Hailwood moved up from Surtees to partner him. Fittipaldi's seat at Lotus was taken up by Jacky Ickx from Ferrari.
- New Ferrari boss Francois Migault next to Jean-Pierre Beltoisewho had stayed.
- After Francois Cevert had died and Jackie Stewart retired, Tyrrell signed Jody Scheckter from McLaren and Formula Two driver Patrick Depailler.
- Ex-McLaren driver Peter Revson found a seat at Shadow next to Jean-Pierre Jarier, coming from March. After having driven part-time for them in 1973, Jochen Mass drove a full season for Surtees.
- Wilson Fittipaldi had left Brabham to prepare and set up his own F1 team for 1974. Richard Robarts paid to take up the seat at the Britishteam.
- March promoted their F2 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck to their F1 team, next to Howden Ganley from Williams.
- Graham Hill's Embassy Racing entered a Lola chassis after running a Shadow in 1973. The Hesketh team entered its self-made chassis after running a privatised March last year.
Mid-season changes
During the season, five teams debuted with their self-made chassis:
- In the Spanish Grand Prix, Chris Amon debuted with his first own chassis, but later, gave up the effort for a drive at BRM.
- In the same race, Trojan-Tauranac Racing hired Tim Schenken to drive their car that was a development from their Formula 5000chassis.
- Token Racing (the name inspired by the owners' first names, Tony and Ken) made their debut at the Belgian Grand Prix with Tom Pryce at the wheel.
- Famous was hired to drive.
- In the same two races, Parnelli Jones entered a car inspired by the Lotus 72, financially supported by Firestone, and future champion Mario Andretti at the wheel.
These are some of the mid-season driver changes:
- After two races, March replaced Howden Ganley with Formula Two driver Vittorio Brambilla.
- armco barrier. Shadow subsequently hired F5000 driver Brian Redman, F2 driver Bertil Roos, and Tom Pryce, who had made his debut with Tokenearlier in the year.
- Richard Robarts was let go by Brabham when a better-funded Rikky von Opel came in. Carlos Pace moved up from Surtees to finish the season at Brabham.
- Mike Hailwood left F1 after heavily crashing his McLaren at the German Grand Prix. David Hobbs returned to F1 after three years to take over, before Jochen Mass moved up from Surtees.
- Helmuth Koinigg was killed during the United States Grand Prix in an accident reminiscent of Cevert's accident at the same track the year before. When his car hit the barrier, it split on impact, and Koinigg was decapitated. Surtees decreased their operations to one car for the next season.
Calendar
Round | Grand Prix | Circuit | Date |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Argentine Grand Prix | Autódromo Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Buenos Aires
|
13 January |
2 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Autodromo de Interlagos, São Paulo
|
27 January |
3 | South African Grand Prix | Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, Midrand | 30 March |
4 | Spanish Grand Prix | Circuito Permanente Del Jarama, Madrid
|
28 April |
5 | Belgian Grand Prix | Nivelles-Baulers, Nivelles | 12 May |
6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo | 26 May |
7 | Swedish Grand Prix | Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp
|
9 June |
8 | Dutch Grand Prix | Circuit Zandvoort, Zandvoort | 23 June |
9 | French Grand Prix | Dijon-Prenois, Prenois | 7 July |
10 | British Grand Prix | Brands Hatch, Kent | 20 July |
11 | German Grand Prix | Nürburgring, Nürburg | 4 August |
12 | Austrian Grand Prix | Spielberg
|
18 August |
13 | Italian Grand Prix | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Monza
|
8 September |
14 | Canadian Grand Prix | Mosport Park, Bowmanville
|
22 September |
15 | United States Grand Prix | Watkins Glen International, New York | 6 October |
Calendar changes
- The Jarama, in keeping with the event-sharing arrangement between the two circuits. Likewise, the Belgian Grand Prix was moved from Circuit Zolder to Nivelles-Baulers, and the British Grand Prix was moved from Silverstone to Brands Hatch.
- The Dutch Grand Prix was moved up from late July to mid June.
- The Charade to the newly built Dijon-Prenois circuit.[2]
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
Selfseal breakaway fuel couplings were mandated to reduce the chance of a fire in accidents.[3][4]
Sporting regulations
- The 1974 season was the first in which teams had permanent racing numbers from race to race, after the system had been instituted in the 1996.
- For the first time, it was mandated precisely how drivers should line up on the grid before the start of the race: in a two-by-two staggered pattern, with 12 12 m (39 ft) between each row of two cars.[3][4]
Season report
Race 1: Argentina
In qualifying for the opening round in Argentina,
Reutemann passed Peterson on the third lap, and soon the Swede began to fade badly with brake problems. As a result,
Race 2: Brazil
Fittipaldi took a popular home pole in Brazil, beating Reutemann and Lauda. Reutemann, eager to make up after his bad luck in Argentina, took the lead at the start, with Peterson up to second. Reutemann led early on, but was passed by both Peterson and Fittipaldi on lap 4. Peterson battled with former Lotus teammate Fittipaldi for the next 12 laps, until he suffered a slow puncture. Fittipaldi passed him and took the lead, whereas Peterson dropped backwards. Fittipaldi went on to take a home victory, with Regazzoni getting second and Ickx third.
Race 3: South Africa
The field went to South Africa after a two-month break. Lauda took pole position, with
Race 4: Spain
The first European round of the championship was in Spain, and it was Lauda who took pole ahead of Peterson and Regazzoni. On race day, the track was wet but drying, and Peterson was able to beat Lauda off the line. Regazzoni and Ickx followed. The Lotuses and the Ferraris battled until Peterson's engine failed and Ickx lost a wheel which was not fastened properly after the stop for slicks. This left Lauda to take his first career win, and Regazzoni to complete a Ferrari 1–2, with Fittipaldi third.
Race 5: Belgium
The next race was in Belgium, and Regazzoni continued Ferrari's streak of poles, and Jody Scheckter's Tyrrell taking second with Lauda third. Regazzoni led in the early stages, with Fittipaldi climbing up to second in the first lap. Later, Lauda passed Scheckter for third, and this became second when Regazzoni went to the grass after an incident with a backmarker. Fittipaldi thus won the race, from Lauda, with Scheckter third after Regazzoni suffered fuel feed problems on the last lap.
Race 6: Monaco
In the streets of Monaco, Lauda and Regazzoni took the front row for Ferrari, with Peterson's Lotus behind them in third. The Ferraris motored away, with Regazzoni leading after beating his teammate off the line, with Peterson down in sixth. Regazzoni led until he made a mistake and spun off, rejoining fifth. Lauda was now leading Jean-Pierre Jarier's Shadow, Peterson and Scheckter. Peterson disposed of Jarier, and took the lead when Lauda's engine blew up. Peterson went on to win, with Scheckter taking second from Jarier.
Race 7: Sweden
The Tyrrells were dominant in qualifying, with Patrick Depailler taking the pole from Jody Scheckter, with the Ferraris of Lauda and Regazzoni on the second row. Scheckter passed his teammate to take the lead at the start, with Peterson gaining three places to jump up to second. It was all to no avail, because he retired in the opening laps with a driveshaft failure. The Tyrrells were now up front, with the Ferraris behind them. The gearboxes of both Ferraris failed and both retired, promoting James Hunt in the Hesketh to third. Scheckter duly won, with Depailler completing a dominant 1–2 for Tyrrell, with Hunt third.
Race 8: Netherlands
The Netherlands was host to the eighth round, and Lauda took his fourth pole of the year, with teammate Regazzoni alongside, and the McLarens of Fittipaldi and Hailwood next up. Lauda led from the start, will Hailwood jumping up to second. But Regazzoni took only two laps to regain second, and Hailwood was soon passed by Depailler and Fittipaldi. Depailler held third until he struggled with oversteer, and so Fittipaldi was through. Lauda won, with Regazzoni making it a 1–2 for Ferrari, with Fittipaldi getting third.
Race 9: France
Lauda took pole again in France, with Peterson in second, and Tom Pryce in the Shadow a surprising third. Lauda and Peterson maintained their positions at the start, whereas Pryce collided with Hunt and Carlos Reutemann, with all three retiring as Regazzoni took third. Lauda and Peterson battled it out in the early stages, but soon Lauda began to suffer from a vibration and Peterson was able to pass him and pull away. Peterson went on to win, with Lauda managing second, and Regazzoni third.
Race 10: Great Britain
Great Britain was host to the tenth round of the championship, and Lauda surprised no one by taking pole, with Peterson again alongside and Scheckter third. At the start, Lauda led, whereas Peterson dropped behind Scheckter and Regazzoni. The order of Lauda, Scheckter, Regazzoni and Peterson remained unchanged for the first half of the race until Regazzoni and Peterson had to pit for new tyres after running over debris. Late in the race, leader Lauda suffered a puncture, and the lead went to Scheckter. Scheckter duly won, with Fittipaldi getting second and Jacky Ickx third.
As a result, with exactly two-thirds of the championship gone, the championship was an extremely close four-way battle. Lauda led with 38 points, but he was only a point ahead of Fittipaldi, with Regazzoni and Scheckter lurking three points behind.
Race 11: Germany
The third part of the championship started in Germany at the 14.2 mile (22.8 km) Nürburgring circuit, and Lauda took pole as usual, and Regazzoni ensured that Ferrari locked out the front row, with other contenders Fittipaldi third and Scheckter fourth. Regazzoni took the lead at the start, whereas Lauda and Scheckter collided on the first lap at the Nord Kurve with the former retiring, and the latter continuing unscathed in second. Fittipaldi suffered a puncture and had to pit. Regazzoni went on to win and take the championship lead, with Scheckter second and Reutemann third.
Race 12: Austria
Lauda took his eighth pole position of the championship, and fifth consecutive, in his home round in Austria with Reutemann and Fittipaldi second and third on the grid. Reutemann got the better of Lauda at the start, with Regazzoni fourth behind the second Brabham of Carlos Pace, and Fittipaldi down to seventh behind Scheckter. Scheckter retired with a blown engine, whereas Regazzoni soon passed Pace. Lauda soon dropped down the order with a misfiring engine and soon retired. Regazzoni was second, and Fittipaldi was third after passing Pace. However. Fittipaldi's engine also blew up, and Regazzoni dropped back and ultimately had to bit with a slow puncture. Reutemann took the victory, with Denny Hulme second and James Hunt third. Regazzoni recovered to finish fifth and get two points, whereas his other rivals scored none.
Race 13: Italy
The Ferrari fans were happy to see Lauda take pole for the Italian GP, with the Brabhams of Reutemann and Pace following him on the grid. The start did not change the positions, with Lauda leading Reutemann and Pace. Soon, Regazzoni passed both the Brabhams to and then Reutemann retired with a gearbox failure and Pace had to pit with tyre troubles. This left Lauda leading Regazzoni for the perfect Ferrari 1–2, a long way ahead of third-placed Peterson. That was not to last as Lauda retired with a water leak, handing the lead to Regazzoni but Regazzoni's engine failed 10 laps later. Peterson took the lead and won, holding off Fittipaldi and Scheckter finished third to close up the championship.
Race 14: Canada
The penultimate round of the championship was in Canada, and Fittipaldi took pole, just beating Lauda with Scheckter third. Lauda took Fittipaldi off the line and led, with Regazzoni up to third ahead of Scheckter, but Scheckter retook the position on the second lap. The four contenders were occupying the first four spots – Lauda leading Fittipaldi, Scheckter and Regazzoni. But Scheckter crashed after suffering a brake failure, and then Lauda crashed out late in the race after running over debris, ending his championship hopes. Fittipaldi won the race from Regazzoni, with Peterson completing the podium.
This meant that Fittipaldi and Regazzoni were level on points into the last race, with Scheckter the outsider seven points behind.
Race 15: United States
The championship decider was to be held at the United States. Reutemann took pole with Hunt alongside on the front row, with home hero
Emerson Fittipaldi finished fourth to ensure that he was the World Champion, beating Regazzoni by three points.
The race was marred by the death of young Austrian
Results and standings
Grands Prix
World Drivers' Championship standings
Points towards the World Championship of F1 Drivers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six finishers in each race.[6] For classification, only the 7 best results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the remaining 7 races could be retained.[7]
|
|
The
International Cup for F1 Manufacturers standings
Points towards the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers were awarded on a 9–6–4–3–2–1 basis for the first six places in each race, however only the best placed car of each manufacturer was eligible to score points.[8] For classification, only the 7 best results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the remaining 7 races could be retained.[8]
Pos | Manufacturer | ARG |
BRA |
RSA |
ESP |
BEL |
MON |
SWE |
NED |
FRA |
GBR |
GER |
AUT |
ITA |
CAN |
USA |
Pts[9] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | McLaren-Ford | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | (5) | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 73 (75) |
2 | Ferrari | 2 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 4 | Ret | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | Ret | 2 | 11 | 65 |
3 | Tyrrell-Ford | 6 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | Ret | 3 | 5 | 6 | 52 |
4 | Lotus-Ford | 13 | 3 | 13 | Ret | Ret | 1 | Ret | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Ret | 1 | 3 | Ret | 42 |
5 | Brabham-Ford | 7 | 7 | 1 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 35 |
6 | Hesketh-Ford | Ret | 10 | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 3 | Ret | 4 | 3 | 15 | ||
7 | BRM | 5 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 5 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 10 | 12 | 10 | Ret | Ret | NC | 9 | 10 |
8 | Shadow-Ford | Ret | Ret | WD | 7 | 13 | 3 | 5 | Ret | 12 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 10 | Ret | 10 | 7 |
9 | March-Ford | 8 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 9 | Ret | 10 | 10 | 11 | Ret | 7 | 6 | Ret | Ret | Ret | 6 |
10 | Iso-Marlboro-Ford | Ret | Ret | 6 | Ret | 14 | Ret | 8 | Ret | 9 | Ret | Ret | NC | 4 | 15 | Ret | 4 |
11 | Surtees-Ford | Ret | 4 | 11 | 13 | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | Ret | 14 | 11 | 9 | DNQ | 10 | Ret | 3 |
12 | Lola-Ford | 11 | 11 | 12 | Ret | 8 | 7 | 6 | Ret | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 8 | 1 |
— | Parnelli-Ford | 7 | DSQ | 0 | |||||||||||||
— | Trojan-Ford
|
14 | 10 | Ret | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | 10 | Ret | 0 | |||||||
— | Penske-Ford
|
12 | Ret | 0 | |||||||||||||
— | Token-Ford | Ret | WD | DNQ | 14 | NC | 0 | ||||||||||
— | Ensign-Ford | DNS | WD | WD | 15 | Ret | DSQ | DSQ | DNQ | DNQ | Ret | DNQ | DNQ | DNQ | NC | 0 | |
— | Amon-Ford | Ret | WD | DNS | WD | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | |||||||||
— | Maki-Ford | WD | DNQ | DNQ | 0 | ||||||||||||
— | Lyncar-Ford | WD | DNQ | 0 | |||||||||||||
Pos | Constructor | ARG |
BRA |
RSA |
ESP |
BEL |
MON |
SWE |
NED |
FRA |
GBR |
GER |
AUT |
ITA |
CAN |
USA |
Pts |
Race results shown in Bold in the above table indicate that points were awarded and retained. Race results shown within brackets indicate that points were awarded but not retained.
The FIA did not award a championship classification to a manufacturer that did not score championship points.[1]
Non-championship races
The following races were open to Formula One cars, but did not count towards the World Championship of F1 Drivers or the International Cup for F1 Manufacturers.
Race name | Circuit | Date | Winning driver | Constructor | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
I Presidente Medici Grand Prix | Brasília | 3 February | Emerson Fittipaldi | McLaren-Cosworth | Report
|
IX Race of Champions | Brands Hatch | 17 March | Jacky Ickx | Lotus-Cosworth | Report |
XXVI BRDC International Trophy | Silverstone | 7 April | James Hunt | Hesketh-Cosworth | Report |
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d e Results of 1974 FIA International Championships, 1975 FIA Yearbook, Grey section, pages 88–89
- ^ David Hayhoe, Formula 1: The Knowledge – 2nd Edition, 2021, page 36
- ^ a b Steven de Grootte (1 January 2009). "F1 rules and stats 1970-1979". F1Technical.net. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Safety Improvements in F1 since 1963". AtlasF1. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- ^ "1973 Belgian Grand Prix Entry list".
- ^ Peter Higham, The Guinness Guide Guide to International Motor Racing, 1995, page 6
- ^ Automobile Year, 1974/75, page 185
- ^ a b Mike Kettlewell, The Champion Book of World Championship Facts & Figures, 1982, page 40
- ^ Only the best 7 results from the first 8 races and the best 6 results from the last 7 races counted towards the championship. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored.